Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Digital audio data processing system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-07
2001-08-21
Mei, Xu (Department: 2644)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Digital audio data processing system
C704S270000, C704S278000, C381S123000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278900
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an audio storing and reproducing apparatus for storing audio data and reproducing the stored audio data.
BACKGROUND ART
There has been an audio storing and reproducing apparatus that encodes (A/D converts) an externally supplied audio signal, stores the resulting signal into a semiconductor memory, such as a RAM, reads the encoded signal from the RAM according to the operation of a reproduce switch or the like, and decodes (D/A converts) the read-out signal, and provides audio output, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,988.
With the conventional audio storing and reproducing apparatus, when a single semiconductor memory is used as a single recording and reproducing apparatus, addressing is initiated, starting at the first address in a recording or reproducing operation. However, in a case where a single semiconductor memory is divided into blocks and the blocks are selectively recorded into or reproduced from, addressing must be initiated, starting at the begin address of the selected block. To do this, it is necessary to send data on the begin address of the selected block to the address control section, preset it, and update the addresses, starting at the begin address. When the encoded data is stored in a volatile memory, such as a RAM, the stored contents will disappear in the case of the expiration of the battery's service life, the replacement of the battery, or a power failure. To avoid the loss of the stored data, use of a nonvolatile memory, such as an EEPROM, can be considered. The EEPROM, however, requires a very high driving voltage, as compared with a CMOS circuit that operates on about 1 V, for example. For this reason, an electronic circuit for controlling a recording and reproducing operations that operates on a relatively low voltage and an electronic circuit including nonvolatile memories have to be composed of separate chips, which need to be controlled by different voltages separately. As described above, when the main circuit section and the electronic circuit including nonvolatile memories are assembled by separate chips and a single nonvolatile memory is divided into blocks as described earlier, and the blocks are selectively recorded into and reproduced from, the begin address of each block must be addressed directly, with the result that a plurality of terminals are needed as the input terminals for address data, which leads to the problem that the size of the chip including nonvolatile memories becomes large.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an audio storing and reproducing apparatus that divides a memory into blocks and is capable of selectively storing or reproducing the data into or from the blocks on a block basis without complicating the circuit configuration.
The foregoing object is accomplished by providing an audio storing and reproducing apparatus comprising: a semiconductor chip including a semiconductor memory having a plurality of storage areas, a storage specifying input terminal to which a storage area specifying signal for specifying a storage area to be stored into or reproduced from the plurality of storage areas in the semiconductor memory and a storage specifying signal for specifying the storing of audio data are inputted, a reproduce specifying input terminal to which a reproduce specifying signal for specifying the reproducing of audio data is inputted, and storage medium control means for not only specifying a storage area to be stored into or reproduced from according to the storage area specifying signal and storing audio data into the specified storage area according to the storage specifying signal, but also reading the audio data stored in the specified storage area according to the reproduce specifying signal; and control means including storage area specifying switch means, record specifying switch means, reproduce specifying switch means, and a control circuit that sends the storage area specifying signal to the storage specifying input terminal when the storage area specifying switch means is operated, that sends the storage area specifying signal to the storage specifying input terminal and thereafter sends the record specifying signal when the record specifying switch means is operated, and that sends the reproduce specifying signal to the reproduce specifying input terminal when the reproduce specifying switch means is operated.
Because the storage specifying input terminal to which the storage area specifying signal and the storage specifying signal are inputted and the reproduce specifying input terminal to which the reproduce specifying signal is inputted connect the semiconductor chip to the control circuit, the audio storing and reproducing apparatus of the present invention has the advantage that the semiconductor memory can be divided into blocks and the blocks can be selectively recorded into or reproduced from block by block without complicating the circuit configuration or increasing the number of terminals of the semiconductor chip.
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Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Mei Xu
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